A. How can I best use each source?
B. What information in each source is useful?
Key Concepts / Skills: note-taking, copyright and plagiarism, bibliography, relevancy
V. Synthesis "SHOW"
A. How can I organize all the information?
B. How can I present the results?
Key Concepts: outline, topic sentence, introduction, conclusion, powerpoint, word processing, rough draft, editing, presentation, using graphics
VI. Evaluation "EVALUATE"
A. Is the task completed?
B. How can I do things better?
Key Concepts: self-evaluation, rubric
Related Lessons
Overall Process: Going on a Treasure Hunt (Overview of the Big Six research process, comparing it to a treasure hunt. Handout: Big6 Chart) Step I - Task Definition: What’s Your Treasure? (Lesson about identifying info need. Pre-research activities such as introducing the KWL method, writing potential thesis statements, developing timelines, formulating research questions, etc.) Step II - Information Seeking Strategies: Making a Map (Overview of different types of information sources and strengths and limitations of each. Examples of information needs and where to begin.) Primary or Secondary? (Lesson about the primary and secondary sources, examples and advantages of each, and when to look for one kind or the other.) Fiction, Non-Fiction, and Dewey (Overview of library collection and where things are located. This is a two-day lesson.) Research Is Not Surfing (Evaluating web sites is PART of the research process: Purpose, Author, Reliability, and Timeliness. Handout: PART worksheet) Step III - Location and Access: Using the OPAC (Discussion of how to find items in the OHMS Library through the OPAC.) Gathering Your Tools (Lesson about finding good search terms for online searches. Discussion about how to find good terminology about a topic, even if it’s unfamiliar to you, through encyclopedias and indexes.) Start Digging, Part 1 (Where should you start with reference books? Overview of such tools as indexes, glossaries, tables of contents, appendixes, bold print, graphic images and captions, and topic sentences.) Start Digging, Part 2 (Where should you start with the internet? Discussion about and demonstrations of online libraries and search engines, Boolean searches, and subject searches.) Exploring Pioneer: Utah's Online Library (Practice using Pioneer, highlighting tools available through the different databases and strengths of the diffferent resources.) Step IV - Use of Information: Separating Trash from Treasure (Lesson about following your leads.) Recording Your Treasure Nuggets (About note-taking) Yours, Mine, or Ours? (Lesson about copyright and plagiarism, and about citing sources and building a bibliography) What Should I Read? (Discussion about "Every book its reader," "Every reader a book," and intellectual freedom. Also covers ways to identify genres, themes, and reading level.) Step V - Synthesis: As Good as Gold (Discussion of copyright and plagiarism and how to cite your sources using the ATSD acronym.) Spreading the Wealth (Activity to take students' research from the rephrase-retell level to critical thinking through the use of a common problem and a sharing grid.) Step VI - Evaluation: Am I Done? (Discussion about evaluating your own process, knowing when enough is enough, and identifying things you’d do differently next time.)
Core Curriculum
Utah State's Core Curriculum for Library Media / Information Literacy.
BIG SIX: Information Problem-Solving Skills
Click here for a powerpoint presentation comparing the Big 6 process to a treasure hunt.
I. Task Definition "WHAT"
A. What's the task?B. What types of information do I need?
Key Concepts / Skills: research questions, KWL, search terms, preliminary subject search
II. Information Seeking Strategies "THINK & PLAN"
A. What are possible sources?B. Which are the best?
Key Concepts / Skills: primary vs secondary sources, fiction, non-fiction, encyclopedias, interviewing, evaluating web sites (purpose, author, reliability, timeliness)
III. Location and Access "WHERE"
A. Where is each source?B. Where is the information in each source?
Key Concepts / Skills: reading non-fiction, indexes, tables of contents, captions, bold text, library catalog (OPAC), databases, Pioneer, search engines, Boolean searches, subject searches
IV. Use of Information "USE"
A. How can I best use each source?B. What information in each source is useful?
Key Concepts / Skills: note-taking, copyright and plagiarism, bibliography, relevancy
V. Synthesis "SHOW"
A. How can I organize all the information?B. How can I present the results?
Key Concepts: outline, topic sentence, introduction, conclusion, powerpoint, word processing, rough draft, editing, presentation, using graphics
VI. Evaluation "EVALUATE"
A. Is the task completed?B. How can I do things better?
Key Concepts: self-evaluation, rubric
Related Lessons
Overall Process:Going on a Treasure Hunt (Overview of the Big Six research process, comparing it to a treasure hunt. Handout: Big6 Chart)
Step I - Task Definition:
What’s Your Treasure? (Lesson about identifying info need. Pre-research activities such as introducing the KWL method, writing potential thesis statements, developing timelines, formulating research questions, etc.)
Step II - Information Seeking Strategies:
Making a Map (Overview of different types of information sources and strengths and limitations of each. Examples of information needs and where to begin.)
Primary or Secondary? (Lesson about the primary and secondary sources, examples and advantages of each, and when to look for one kind or the other.)
Fiction, Non-Fiction, and Dewey (Overview of library collection and where things are located. This is a two-day lesson.)
Research Is Not Surfing (Evaluating web sites is PART of the research process: Purpose, Author, Reliability, and Timeliness. Handout: PART worksheet)
Step III - Location and Access:
Using the OPAC (Discussion of how to find items in the OHMS Library through the OPAC.)
Gathering Your Tools (Lesson about finding good search terms for online searches. Discussion about how to find good terminology about a topic, even if it’s unfamiliar to you, through encyclopedias and indexes.)
Start Digging, Part 1 (Where should you start with reference books? Overview of such tools as indexes, glossaries, tables of contents, appendixes, bold print, graphic images and captions, and topic sentences.)
Start Digging, Part 2 (Where should you start with the internet? Discussion about and demonstrations of online libraries and search engines, Boolean searches, and subject searches.)
Exploring Pioneer: Utah's Online Library (Practice using Pioneer, highlighting tools available through the different databases and strengths of the diffferent resources.)
Step IV - Use of Information:
Separating Trash from Treasure (Lesson about following your leads.)
Recording Your Treasure Nuggets (About note-taking)
Yours, Mine, or Ours? (Lesson about copyright and plagiarism, and about citing sources and building a bibliography)
What Should I Read? (Discussion about "Every book its reader," "Every reader a book," and intellectual freedom. Also covers ways to identify genres, themes, and reading level.)
Step V - Synthesis:
As Good as Gold (Discussion of copyright and plagiarism and how to cite your sources using the ATSD acronym.)
Spreading the Wealth (Activity to take students' research from the rephrase-retell level to critical thinking through the use of a common problem and a sharing grid.)
Step VI - Evaluation:
Am I Done? (Discussion about evaluating your own process, knowing when enough is enough, and identifying things you’d do differently next time.)
Core Curriculum
Utah State's Core Curriculum for Library Media / Information Literacy.